Obama heckled as he tries to woo Hispanic voters by hailing importance of immigrants to U.S.

By John Stevens
Last updated at 1:03 PM on 11th May 2011
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* Obama attempts to woo Hispanic voters with immigration reform
* Border is more secure than ever, claims Obama, as he says guard numbers have doubled since 2004
* President claims less arrests show fewer attempting to cross border, but opponents say officers have stopped arrests to keep figures down
* Mocks Republicans, saying they will want a moat with alligators in on border
* Pledges to escalate legislation offering route to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants in U.S.
* First visit to U.S.-Mexico border since election in 2008

President Obama was heckled as he made a blatant attempt to woo Hispanic voters today by hailing the importance of immigrants to the American economy.

Speaking in El Paso, Texas, close to Mexican the border, the President pledged to escalate legislation that would offer a pathway to the nation’s millions of illegal immigrants.

But the President also claimed border controls between the U.S. and Mexico had never been more stringent.


Heckled: President Obama hailed the virtues of immigration to the U.S. economy during speech in Texas

Obama said:'We define ourselves as a nation of immigrants - a nation that welcomes those willing to embrace America’s precepts.

'It doesn’t matter where you come from. What matters is that you believe in the ideals on which we were founded, that you believe all of us are equal. In embracing America, you can become American. That is what makes this country great.'

The President was broadly cheered by supporters as he told how immigrants were an essential part of the economic recovery and said he wanted to offer a path to citizenship for 11 million illegal immigrants.

But he was then heckled as he made reference to the 'fence' between the U.S. and Mexico, with shouts of 'tear it down' from the crowd.

In scenes unusual for such a campaign-style event, supporters attempted to drown out jeers from opponents of immigration by chanting, 'Yes we can'.


Reform: Obama spoke about immigration policy in El Paso, Texas, with the Mexican border just behind him


Welcomed: President Obama shakes hands with people after speaking on immigration close to the Mexican border

The speech came as immigration is widely expected to become a key issue in the 2010 presidential election as both Democrats and Republicans seek to use it to their own advantage.

A number of states, including Arizona, have been moving in the opposite direction of the President by making it easier to deport people in the U.S. illegally.

On his first trip to the U.S.-Mexico border since becoming president, Obama declared it was more secure than ever before.

He boasted of increasing border patrol agents, nearing completion of a border fence and screening more cargo.

Obama claimed that fewer arrests of illegal immigrants showed that 'far fewer people are attempting to cross the border illegally'.

'Even as we have stepped up patrols, apprehensions along the border have been cut by nearly 40 per cent from two years ago,' said Obama.

But local police chiefs have alleged that they have been told to stop arresting illegal immigrants on the border to keep official figures down.

An Arizona sheriff last month said Border Patrol agents have told dozens of law enforcement officers to instead chase the immigrants back towards Mexico.

Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever said he had been 'flooded' with emails from officers supporting his claims.

The President sought to blame Republicans for standing in the way of immigration legislation as he sought to appease Hispanic voters.

Many Hispanics have voiced concerns about the administration's heavy deportations and feel Obama never made good on his promise to prioritise immigration legislation during his first year in office.

Obama predicted Republicans would seek to block his new immigration reform drive, quipping they would demand alligators in a moat around America's borders.

'We have gone above and beyond what was requested by the very Republicans who said they supported broader reform as long as we got serious about enforcement,' Obama said, at the southern US border in El Paso, Texas.

'Even though we've answered these concerns, I have got to say I suspect there are still going to be some who are trying to move the goalposts on us one more time.


That's better: Later yesterday evening, Mr Obama arrived to cheers to speak at a Democratic National Committee event at the Moody Theater in Austin, Texas


Friendly crowd: Mr Obama was surrounded by supporters at the event, where he drew cheers and wild applause when he mentioned the death of Osama Bin Laden

'They'll say we need to triple the border patrol. Now they will say we will need to quadruple the border patrol. Or they will want a higher fence.

'Maybe they'll need a moat. Maybe they will want alligators in the moat - they'll never be satisfied, and I understand that. That's politics.'

OBAMA GETS CHEERS WITH LINE ABOUT BIN LADEN DEATH



He may have been heckled over immigration, but later on yesterday evening President Obama managed to draw cheers with a line about Osama Bin Laden's death.

Mr Obama boasted at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser Tuesday night, above, that thanks to the U.S. military and American intelligence agencies, 'Osama bin Laden will never again threaten the United States of America.'

The line got big applause. And even before Mr Obama mentioned the raid someone yelled out from the crowd: 'Thank you for getting Bin Laden!'

The fundraiser drew more than 600 people to Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater with tickets starting at $45 for students.

It was the first of two Obama Democratic Party fundraisers Tuesday.

The second was a high-dollar event at a private residence with tickets going for as much as $35,800.

Few political observers believe there is any chance that a comprehensive immigration reform bill will pass this year, so Obama has been accused of bringing it up to seek favour with Hispanics and to hurt Republicans.

But White House aides insisted the President felt a sense of urgency about illegal immigration and wanted to spur Congress into action.

'It's easier for politicians to defer the problem until after the next election, and there's always a next election,' Obama said.

'So we've seen a lot blame and politics and a lot of ugly rhetoric.

'We've seen leaders of both parties who tried to work on this issue and then their efforts fell prey to the usual Washington games. And all the while, we've seen the mounting consequences of decades of inaction.'

Obama said that the U.S. had 'strengthened border security beyond what many believed was possible'.

He said: 'They wanted more agents on the border. Well, we now have more boots on the ground on the southwest border than at any time in our history.

'The Border Patrol has 20,000 agents – more than twice as many as there were in 2004, a build up that began under President Bush and that we have continued.'

The President said that immigration reform would help make America more competitive in the global economy.

He argued that the middle class would benefit from bringing illegal immigrants out of an underground economy and drawing on the abilities of immigrants educated in American universities.

He said: 'Look at Intel and Google and Yahoo and eBay – these are great American companies that have created countless jobs and helped us lead the world in high-tech industries.

Every one was founded by an immigrant. We don’t want the next Intel or Google to be created in China or India. We want those companies and jobs to take root in America.


Response: Crowd mostly cheered Obama's speech but he was heckled when he talked about the border fence


Pledge: Obama promised to escalate legislation that would offer a pathway to the nation¿s millions of illegal immigrants

He pledged to 'make it easier for the best and the brightest to not only study here, but also to start businesses and create jobs here'.

He said: 'In recent years, a full 25 per cent of high-tech startups in the U.S. were founded by immigrants, leading to more than 200,000 jobs in America. I’m glad those jobs are here. And I want to see more of them created in this country.'

Republicans disputed Obama's contention that the border has been effectively secured and accused him of playing politics in pursuit of the ever-growing Hispanic electorate ahead of the 2012 presidential election.

'The President's off talking about comprehensive reform. We've been down that road before,' Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor told reporters.

'I believe, in turn, we should do things that actually produce some progress and results.'


Security: Obama declared the U.S.-Mexico border was more secure than ever after he was shown confiscated items at a border post

Arizona senators Jon Kyl and John McCain, who was Obama's 2008 Republican election foe, warned that people did not feel that the US-Mexico border was secure, despite the administration's pledges.

'Unfortunately, when President Obama was in the Senate, he actively worked to undermine the reform that he now seems to be advocating during election season,' the senators said in a statement.

'This is not surprising considering he made the same evolution in 2008. It's too bad he didn't choose to follow through on those promises after his election,' they said.

Republican congressman Peter King also rejected Obama's approach.

'The President has again called for amnesty for illegal immigrants without offering a single proposal to actually improve the security of our borders,' King said.

The previous bid to pass comprehensive immigration reform, in the second term of president George W Bush, ended in failure after months of bitter and polarizing debate.

OBAMA'S SPEECH ON IMMIGRATION REFORM

[b][i] The role of immigrants

'We define ourselves as a nation of immigrants – a nation that welcomes those willing to embrace America’s precepts. That’s why millions of people, ancestors to most of us, braved hardship and great risk to come here – so they could be free to work and worship and live their lives in peace. The Asian immigrants who made their way to California’s Angel Island. The Germans and Scandinavians who settled across the Midwest. The waves of the Irish, Italian, Polish, Russian, and Jewish immigrants who leaned against the railing to catch that first glimpse of the Statue of Liberty.
This flow of immigrants has helped make this country stronger and more prosperous. We can point to the genius of Einstein and the designs of I. M. Pei, the stories of Isaac Asimov and whole industries forged by Andrew Carnegie.

And I think of the naturalization ceremonies we’ve held at the White House for members of the military, which have been so inspiring. Even though they were not yet citizens, these men and women had signed up to serve. One was a young man named Granger Michael from Papua New Guinea, a Marine who deployed to Iraq three times. Here’s what he said about becoming an American citizen. “I might as well. I love this country already.â€